Unveiling 21 new reform objectives which have been approved by the full Commission, he also announced plans to double the number of women in senior posts within five years.

Kinnock said this week that creating a new audit section would be “an essential component for propelling reform” in the area of financial control and would answer one of the key criticisms made by the committee of independent experts whose first report brought down the Santer Commission.

“The committee criticised the lack of clear responsibility and the fact that the financial controller was responsible for auditing,” he said. Kinnock added that he was also planning to go beyond the report’s recommendations by setting up an ‘audit progress board’ which would ensure that any recommendations by the internal audit service were implemented. The unit would come under Kinnock’s control as Commissioner for internal reform.

The vice-president’s plans have received a mixed reaction, with MEPs welcoming the initiative but some Commission staff union representatives warning that the new unit will not be independent enough.

One staff representative claimed the Commission had ignored advice from the old internal group which was part of the financial control department. “Why don’t they build on existing expertise?” he said. He also pointed out that the committee of independent experts had recommended that the internal audit unit should report directly to the president’s office to ensure that its work was not ignored.

But Dutch Liberal MEP Lousewies van der Laan, who is a member of the European Parliament’s budgetary control committee, said the Commission’s decision showed a sincere commitment to reform. “It is amazing that Budget Commissioner Michaele Schreyer is losing part of her directorate. It is rare to see politicians putting the future of the Commission ahead of their personal ambitions and shows that the Commission is very serious about reform,” she said.

Kinnock’s plans to double the number of senior level jobs held by women by the end of the new Commission’s term of office in 2005 have been welcomed by staff unions. “It can only be good for the Commission. Equal opportunities and gender equality are something to which lip service has been paid in the past,” said Eileen Hall of Union Syndicale, the Commission biggest staff union.

In an attempt to ensure a fair distribution of top posts within the Commission, Kinnock also said he would take steps to guarantee that each member state has at least one director-general, with the rest shared out on the basis of merit alone. At the moment, Greek and Austrian nationals do not hold any director-general or equivalent posts while Germany, France and the UK have 19 of the 33 positions available between them.